The Indian Air Force has about 270 Russian two-seat multirole 4+ generation Su-30MKI fighters and 23 French fourth-generation multirole Dassault Rafale fighters. Bulgarian Military compared their flight performance characteristics.
Su-30MKI and Dassault Rafale represent eastern and western engineering thought. The question arises: which fighter is better in air combat?
As noted by Bulgarian Military journalists, Dassault Rafale is smaller than Su-30MKI in weight, length, width and height.
The aircraft are equipped with a pair of engines, but the Russian fighter has more powerful ones. Let's assume that because of this, the Su-30MKI will gain an advantage.
At the same time, both Dassault Rafale and Su-30MKI fly at the same speed - Mach 2, but the French one has more thrust. But in terms of maneuverability, the Russian fighter surpasses its competitor.
Both fighters have similar avionics and weapons. The Su-30MKI carries R77 air-to-air missiles, and the Dassault Rafale carries Meteor. The Russian missile surpasses the French one in speed and range.
Perhaps the Indian Air Force can use Dassault Rafale for quick and unexpected attacks, and Su-30MKI for participation in well-planned operations.
Characteristics of Dassault Rafale
- Maximum speed at high altitude ~ 2200 km/h
- Maximum flight altitude - 15.2 thousand m
- Thrust-to-weight ratio - 1.03
Characteristics of Su-30MKI:
- Maximum speed at high altitude - 2125 km/h
- Maximum flight altitude - 17.3 thousand m
- Thrust-to-weight ratio -1.0
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